It’s Official: Dodge adds all-wheel drive to 2017 Challenger

Dodge's all-wheel-drive Challenger GT arrives just in time for winter shenanigans

by
Nick Tragianis | December 7, 2016

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Dodge is adding another trick up the Challenger‘s sleeve for 2017 – all-weather traction.

The good news? This means you can enjoy muscle car thrills year-round. The bad news? All-wheel drive is only available with the base 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 and eight-speed automatic transmission combination. Nope, the Hemi V8 engine remains exclusively rear-drive.

It probably won’t light a fire in your belly and make noises as lovely as the Challenger SRT does, but with 305 horsepower and 268 lb.-ft. of torque sent to all four wheels, the Challenger GT should be able to get out of its own way. Under most circumstances, just the rear wheels are powered – that is, until the front wheels begin to slip.

2017 Dodge Challenger GT

Making up for the slightly disappointing performance credentials are a Sport driving mode, plus paddle shifters, 19-inch wheels and Dodge’s Performance Pages suite that tracks data such as lap times, g-forces and zero-to-100 km/h times.

Of course, because performance isn’t the name of the Challenger GT’s game, it does aim to be a little more premium than most other V6-powered Challengers. That’s why it comes with features such as standard Nappa leather, heated and cooled front seats and a heated steering wheel, plus a six-speaker Alpine sound system and FCA’s 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, to name just a few of the features.

Canadian pricing and availability hasn’t been announced just yet, but the 2017 Challenger GT will hit U.S. dealers next month, starting at US$34,490. Sadly, no word yet on the rumoured all-wheel-drive Challenger Hellcat.